Germany-Energy-Nuclear
Most Germans support extending the operating lives of the country's nuclear power plants in a bid to ensure the energy supply, according to a survey released by the ZDF public broadcasting network.

Some 54 percent of people said the running period of German nuclear plants' should be extended beyond the legally mandated time of 2021, while 40 percent opposed it and six percent were unsure about the issue.

Several leading German energy companies, E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall, have long tried to extend the operating lives of their older nuclear plants but have faced steadfast opposition from Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel.

The minister has instead offered to prolong the operating time of the newer plants in exchange for closing down older plants earlier, on the basis that the 10 plants that went online after 1981 are safer.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's grand coalition government is bound by a coalition deal struck after the September 2005 elections to continue with the phase- out by 2021.

German atomic reactors are on the average shut down after 32 years, while other nuclear power plants in the US and Sweden are running up to 60 years.

Last month, German Economic Minister Michael Glos voiced also serious concern over the planned nuclear phase-out, saying it would jeopardizing the country's economic boom.

"The absurd atomic exit is increasingly threatening the (economic boom, climate and consumers. Safe German nuclear power plants have to be kept online, so we can confront rising electricity prices," the minister said.

Glos called for a complete review of Germany's energy policy, saying his ministry was involved in drafting a raw material and energy policy .

Merkel has repeatedly warned against abandoning nuclear energy by the year 2021.

It does not make any sense to shut down nuclear power plants to purchase atomic electricity from the Czech Republic, France and Finland, Merkel was quoted saying in Berlin.

German nuclear reactors are among the safest in the world, she added.

Germany's largest state, Bavaria, covers 60 percent of its energy needs through nuclear energy.

As part of a grand coalition agreement with its junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has agreed to back the gradual nuclear phase-out during this legislative period which is to end in the fall of 2009.

The chancellor has repeatedly stressed her determination to reverse a decision by the former government to phase out nuclear energy.

Merkel has called the policy of exiting from nuclear energy "absolutely wrong."
She urged a rethinking of the decision which would mothball all of Germany's 17 atomic power plants Merkel made clear that nuclear energy could also help contribute to
affordable energy prices .

German nuclear power plants account for 26 percent of the nation's energy consumption.

Germany's atomic reactors are still working at full strength, having raised their electricity production in 2006.

German nuclear power plants generated 167.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2006, up from 163 billion kilowatt hours in 2005.